OUR VIEW: Civil-rights activists have sounded the alarm over the death of a graduate student whose final confrontation with Cal State San Bernardino police turned deadly.

Their concerns must be taken into account by campus officials who have begun a review of the shooting.

Bartholomew Williams, 38, was shot five times at the end of an altercation Saturday with three campus officers who had tried repeatedly to subdue him. He’d had contact with campus police twice previously in the day, both times behaving erratically, and by early evening officers wanted to take him into custody for a psychological evaluation.

Williams resisted, and officers attempted to bring him under control with verbal commands, pepper spray, even baton strikes. The 6-foot man, whom police say exhibited “superhuman strength,” fought them off, disarming one of pepper spray and turning it on the officer. As the officer lay on the ground, Williams began kicking him and the other officers opened fire. Campus police officials said officers believed they had no other choice.

Civil rights activists have urged campus police to re-examine their use-of-force guidelines, particularly with the mentally ill. Eddie Jones, president of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Association, argued at a press conference Monday that Tasers might have spared Williams’ life.

It’s impossible to know if that’s true.

Tasers, considered by some an effective non-lethal use-of-force tool, have resulted in the deaths of 500 people since 2001, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Closer to home, a 22-year-old schizophrenic man died in the custody of the San Bernardino Police Department (which is separate from the CSUSB department) after he was repeatedly tased. In that case, a federal jury determined police were unnecessarily rough and improperly denied medical aid on the scene.

San Bernardino police are investigating circumstances of Williams’ death. Meanwhile, a CSUSB spokesman said the university is reviewing its policies and procedures as a matter of “prudent practice.” Tasers have been considered by campus police in the past, but have yet to win approval.

We expect campus police will revisit that issue, and encourage them to look into giving officers every tool possible to ensure the safety of students and themselves.

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